Date of Award

Spring 5-7-2021

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Janis Schiefelbein

Second Advisor

Dr. Amanda Alonzo

Third Advisor

Dr. Tim Flood

Abstract

New graduate registered nurses (NGRNs) need post-graduate support to ease their transition into professional practice and to decrease turnover. Orientation programs have been identified as a method to increase NGRN retention, job satisfaction, and competence. With the current nursing shortage, it is essential to maintain NGRNs in the profession, especially since they encompass the largest population of nurses leaving the profession each year. The purpose of this project was to develop an understanding of the effect that nursing orientation has on job satisfaction, competence level, and the retention of NGRNs in a rural Kansas medical facility. A quantitative approach was utilized with a correlational research design. To develop an understanding of the perception of new graduate registered nurses an anonymous pre-validated online survey created by Shepard (2014) was distributed to all nursing staff through the facility email server. The demographic population was a convenience sample of 33 NGRNs. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s rho analysis were completed to evaluate the correlation between survey questions. The findings of this study revealed that the majority of participants were satisfied overall with the received orientation program and planned to remain employed for at least 18-24 months from hire. Participants who felt their clinical skills improved during orientation were also more likely to be satisfied with the orientation program. Overall, the findings suggest that perceived satisfaction with the orientation program is related to increased skill competence, intention to remain employed, and job satisfaction.

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